Hello
by MoldyCookie
Summary: When Allen was younger, Mana told him to "Never stand still, always keep walking"... this was the promise he made in the wake of his father's memory...


Disclaimer: I don't own DGM, otherwise it wouldn't be posted here, you feel me?

Mistakes are all on me, not beta'd. obviously...

* * *

 **Hello**

Black smoke and ashes painted the air.

Two figures whizzed past, stirring the slowly stagnating embers into motion. Sparks flew when two identical broadswords clash, colors inverted.

Time seemed to slow as the rounder of the two, the man with an outrageous grin, pointed ears, and a top hat deflected his opponent's blow creating an opening for his blade, a thrust towards his opponent's torso was avoided when the smaller of the two let his body fall sideways to the left with his sword disappearing and a clawed left arm materialized under his cloak to catch his balance.

Digging his claws to the bloody ground, the one with the white cloak that almost seemed to glow in the darkness' mantel practically came to life as it flared and sent lengthened strips of itself towards its' owner's adversary. The man with the top hat leapt away from the attacks as the strips pierced the ground individually in pursuit.

The cloaked individual dashed towards his enemy, turning his left arm into the sword he had earlier, with a loud cry. The grinning man did the same and their swords clashed once more, they both met each other blow for blow appearing to be evenly matched, but as the cloaked one made for a wide upward slash, and the one with the top hat; diagonally downward.

Both blades completed their arc, but most unusual, no sound was heard. No tearing of flesh, breaking of bones, not even a shift of footsteps over the weight of receiving their attacks, there was not a sign that the attacks hit, but with the length of the blades and the proximity of the duelists, by all rights they should have.

There were no tells, until a beat later, the smaller of the two; the cloaked one collapsed to the ground on his side and coughed up blood, his cloak and sword dissipating, until all that was left was a scarred white haired youth, battered, injured, and weak. His opponent; the man with the inhuman grin and top hat, dropped his stance and looked at the downed young man.

The one with the top hat stared at the enfeebled young man with clouded eyes, looking to any third party like he was daydreaming, who knows what he was seeing. The round man began to take a step towards his fallen foe, not minding when the skin on his face began to fall off. When his boot was but a hair's breadth away from the youth's fingertip, he stopped.

The youth on the ground that was barely conscious, with herculean effort, raised his blurring sights toward the man over him. There he saw a very familiar grim face, one he longed to see smiling warmly, whether it had face paint on or not. It was the face of the man who taught him what love felt like, and also the one who broke him, stripped him of who he was just so that his brother can exist again.

This was the man whose name he has uttered in every possible emotion there was. An image of himself he once conjured in this man's likeness when he thought him dead…

"Mana…"

The young man breathed out in barely above a whisper. The name slipped out despite being corrected many times by the man himself that Mana was dead and the all he was, was the Millenium Earl. And yet, he could never associate that face with the Earl no matter how hard he tried. The man smiled at him politely, like one would to a stranger, an expression so inherently wrong and yet so natural when it came to Mana.

"Allen."

A name sweetly uttered, there was affection that sounded so fake and yet at the same time, genuine. Allen was not quite sure in that regard since that tone was all he heard from the man, it makes him wonder all over again whether Mana actually ever cared about him all those years ago. He probably did all that for his brother, there never was an Allen Walker, just Neah. The smiles, the musical score, the affection, it was all for the person Mana wanted Allen to become…

"You have been quite the thorn on my side, boy."

He was just as Allen remembers him; polite, friendly…

Distant…

"There were rules specifically set, and you always end up breaking each and every one of them…"

Allen glares at him, willing himself to force words out despite the pain he could feel through every inch of his body.

"And I will… k-keep… doing it… until I D-die."

"Ah, so I won't have to wait long then."

It's true, Allen can feel himself slipping away, darkness was threatening to swallow him. Allen let out a weak laugh at the Man's face which surprised said man. The man that was Mana and yet… not, gave him a questioning look; In lieu of an answer, Allen whispered to himself with the last of his strength.

"I'm sorry, M-mana… I can't… walk anymore…"

At that point everything about the youth stilled. His pained rasps stopped and all tension left his body. The Earl looked at the corpse on the ground with a cold expression, he's won and yet there was not an ounce of satisfaction to be felt after having eliminated one of the major obstacles in his wake. Somehow this didn't surprise him.

A few drops of water fell on the ground; Seems like it's starting to rain…

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 **END**


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